I will be total honest, August has been a wipe out so far. I did not think about the fact that I was off work with two boys for the holidays enough. Read: I have overspent in most areas. The little spends that add up quickly, seem to be sinking my budget ship, so to speak.
So, I need to get back on track. And September seems like a very good place to start. New academic year, a new month and getting organised before Christmas as well. What could be better!?
Does anyone want to join me?
I’m going to be stripping our budget right back to the bare essentials; I really need to, to be quite honest. September needs to be a very focused No Spend to get back where it feels like I’m doing ok. No spending recklessly (which it feels like I am doing at the moment!) and really reigning in those little spends that have definitely creeped in as of late.
My thoughts about the No Spend September:
– no eating out
– no online shopping
– as many free activities as I can find (soft play is expensive!)
– sticking to the meal plan and budget meals
– no takeaways (see above)
The only thing that might crop up that I can’t figure out yet are school related expenses. Alfie starts school in September and there might be things we need to get or that I’ve forgotten. I cannot believe we’re at this stage already! But, anything related to that doesn’t count. Or anything child related, such as new shoes or clothes if they suddenly have a growth spurt.
But, apart from that, this is it! The usual budgets for variable expenses – food, petrol, misc., children and clothing – will stay the same, though I’m hoping to have some left over in all ares if I can. I am going to put the eating out budget at £0. Eeek! I need to be strict though; it’s all too easy to just go out when I’m tired and can’t be bothered.
I also need to cut back on the children’s activities – the ones that cost anyway. We have been to lots of different places over the holidays and it’s been great but my gosh, it doesn’t half add up quickly. I’m not saying no to everything, but definitely cutting back on this. Lots of trips to the park with a picnic instead, if the weather is good enough 🙂
Related post: How To Prepare For A No Spend Month
Related post: The No Spend Month Challenge: Planned vs. Impulse Spends
Related post: How To Have A No Spend Month
Have I missed anything out? At the moment all I can think about it not spending. I almost feel a bit out of control with my finances which is never a good position to be in. Especially as it can then lead to me buying all sorts of stuff online – I do NOT want to get back into that habit.
So, this gives me a week to get my head around the No Spend September, put a plan in place, create a tracker (which I’ll upload onto here as a free PDF so you can join me if you want!) and look forward to getting back to where I normally am in terms of spending. If you’ve watched any of my YouTube videos during August, you will understand why I need to do this 🙂
Also, come and join my Facebook group with other challenge members – there’s over 1,100 members already!
>>>Click here!<<<
Are you going to join me? Have you got any tips to add? I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
I’m going to be doing this! August has just cost way too much money! Impromptu trips down to see the family has soon racked up and I’m still not fully use to paying for petrol 🙈
Sounds great! We will be aiming for as much of a frugal September as we can manage – eating through what we have before we move house and trying no eating out. Good luck with your challenge!
I’ll join you on this too. I’ve got a week away in Wales planned in October, so saving some money throughout September will be really good to make sure that I can have a good holiday without breaking the bank.